John C. Eicholtz  was the son of Clinton Shaffer and Mary Eicholtz Shaffer of 327 Washington Avenue Phoenixville, PA. He entered the service two months after graduating with honors from Phoenixville High School (then located on Rt. 23 where the Phoenixville Hospital is today). During high school, he was athletically inclined and liked sandwiches and Veronica Lake (a popular actress and pin up model).  He was a member of the Baptist Church of Phoenixville, at Church and Gay streets.

Sgt. Eicholtz enlisted in the Army Air Corps in August of 1942 at the age of 19.  He graduated from Arial Gunner School in Fort Myers Florida, where he then was promoted to the rank of sergeant. Before he graduated, he trained as a gunner on a flying fortress.  In addition, he attended Radio School in Salt Lake City Utah. John was assigned to the 563rd Bomb Squadron of the388th Bomb Group (Heavy). John was the youngest man in the entire squadron and became a gunner on a B-17 bomber.

The 388^th Bomb Group was activated in December at Gowen Field in Boise, Idaho. John’s Bombardment sent to England to be stationed at Knettisham Heath, a base originally constructed for the Royal Air force. The Group became part of the famed 8^th Air Force. John’s Squadron (563^rd) flew a number of missions over Europe bombing enemy targets.  Early in the war with long missions exceeding the range of our fighters for protection, aircrew and aircraft losses were horrific. In two years of combat John’s bomb group suffered 538 Killed In Action, 112 Wounded, 742 taken Prisoners.

On the Bomb Group’s 11th mission to bomb Stuttgart, Germany, John’s B-17 was shot down.

Staff Sergeant John C. Eicholtz was Killed In Action on September 6, 1943.

His family was notified on September 21, John was reported Missing In Action.  The information on his death was reopened by the German Government through the International Red Cross.   On October 19, 1943, the War Department in Washington D.C. released a list of 635 names of soldiers missing in action. Sgt. John Eicholtz was one of the names on the list. On November 4th, 20 year old John Eicholtz’s designation was changed to Killed In Action on the mission date of September 6, 1943.

A memorial service was held at the Baptist Church of Phoenixville, Sunday November 7th.

John is buried at the Epinal American Cemetery in Vosges, France.